Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are long-lasting chemicals that can be found in many household materials, but not enough is known about pre- and perinatal negative health outcomes associated with PFAS exposure. Additionally, socioeconomically disadvantaged groups, such as African American women and children, may be at more risk for PFAS exposure, worsening health disparities. Previous studies have linked PFAS exposure with negative infant health outcomes, such as lower birth weight, but little is known about the specific biological mechanisms that PFAS exposures disrupt during prenatal development.
To investigate these mechanisms, Che-Jung Chang, PhD, Donghai Liang, PhD, and their team of ECHO researchers at Emory University looked at pregnancy and exposure data from more than 300 African American women enrolled in the Atlanta ECHO cohort from 2014-2018. Their research, titled “Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) exposure, maternal metabolomic perturbation, and fetal growth in African American women: A meet-in-the-middle approach,” is published in Environment International.
As part of this study, the researchers analyzed the levels of PFAS in the participants’ blood samples along with the levels of a variety of small molecules that are known to be essential to prenatal development. The researchers then used statistical methods to look at how these chemical differences affected birth weights. The analysis found that PFAS exposures were linked with lower birth weights in babies that African American women delivered. These lower birth weights may have been associated with changes in the levels of a variety of essential metabolites and molecules, including amino acids, lipid/fatty acid, bile acids, and sex hormones.
The results of this study reveal some of the key chemical mechanisms that may be responsible for the effects of PFAS exposure on prenatal development. “The molecular mechanisms and biomarkers presented in this study warrant future investigation in targeted studies,” said Dr. Liang. “These investigations may help develop early detection and intervention strategies in both public health and clinical settings.”
Going forward, the team will take a closer look at how PFAS exposures are reflected in the levels of key small molecules in newborn babies. Additionally, team members hope to expand their chemical analysis in order to get a more holistic view of how PFAS exposures affect prenatal development.
Access the brief flash talk from the authors in the following video: